Crystal River current. [volume] (Crystal, Colo.) 1886-18??, 1887-06-25
mind whether it was a revolution or q

holiday.
threw myself on the bed and tried
to get into doze, and was succeeding
when the alcade rushed into my room
with bevy OF his retainers and pull
ed me into a sitting posture.
"The senor's commands have been
obeyed," said the alcade excitedly.
"The dog of bandit has been arrest
ed, and will be tried before me at once.
But we need the senor's testimony.
Without the senior we can do nothing"
1t took me almost no time to dress
and accompany the little brown al
cade and his browner alguazils to the
pretentious stone edifice on the plaza
called the palace OF justice.
had never seen a criminal trial in
a Mexican court, and everything was
new. to me. The alcade presided with
great dignity. He was assisted by
prosecuting officer and several advo-
Gates, as they call their lawyers, were
also on hand. The court room was
filled with crowd of eager spectators
all talking swearing, and shaking their
fists at the prisoner. The robber,
Francisco, was the most unconcerned
looking man in the crowd. Surround
ed by alguazis, he was not handcuffed,
ana Wlen ne saw lie lle SIIllleQ anu
made me polite bow.
The proceedings dragged all through
the weary day. My limited knowledge
OF the language made it impossible for
me to follow everything that was said
but understood that an effort was
being made to prove an alibi.
Three men with rather honest faces
swore that on O'Clock on the previ-
GUS evening they had imbibed pulque
with Francisco at little village twenty
miles west of San Pablo. If they told
the truth, OF course my robber could
not have been Francisco.
1t irritated me to see so much i'm
portance attached to the alibi and to
my case, because l had been led to be-
lieve that the prisoner would be held
anyhow, as he was wanted for other
crimes, and a big reward had been Of
fered for him. l was told, however,
that in Yucatan n prisoner when he
demands q trial, must be tried or re-
leased inside OF twelve hours. In order
to hold him, therefore, the San Pablo
authorities had to make the most OF
my evidence.
THE al,; business worried the
old alcade not a little. The
three witnesses who .swore to meet
ing Francisco on the afternoon before
were reputable men. On the other
hand l was a stranger and an Ameri-
can. Several times during the day ]
was recalled to the stand and examin-
ed and cross-examined. The utmost
courtesy characterized the examina.
ton, but it had a latitude that would
not have been permitted in an Ameri-
can court. Frequently spectator
would interrupt with question. or
make suggestion to the alcade. Once
Francisco remarked that he was tired,
and would take it as g. favor if the
court would hurry up!
Towards the close of the day saw a
man on the outskirts OF the spectators
whose face and manner attracted my
attention. He was the very image OF
Francisco, the prisoner.
a better view. The resemblance was
wonderfully striking. The man was
just Francisco's age, height, size and
complexion. His sombrero shaded
his right temple and prevented me
from seeing whether it bore the pecul.
lar scar which disfgured the robber.
His costume was the same as Fran
cisco's, but, as nearly everybody wore
homespun of the same color and pat
tern, this didn't excite my surprise.
"If he has the scar" I muttered,
''he could pass anywhere for Francis.
co. 1t would be impossible to tell
them apart"
Naturally I began to understand the
alibi. The men who swore that they
saw the highwayman twenty miles
away from the scene of his crime at
the very moment he was tying my
hands, might honestly be mistaken.
They had seen this mysterious stran-
ger. But they had sworn to the scar.
Could it be possible that the stran-
gers face bore such a mark?
determined to edge my way to him
in the crowd and accidentally knock
off his sombrero in order to look for
the fiery crescent.
When l reached that side OF the
building the man was gone. I made
every effort to find him, but finally
gave it up. He had either left the
room or had shifted his position, keep
ing other persons between us SO as to
screen him from my view.
As it was growing dark, four tallow
candles were lighted, but the gloomy
stone walls made the room look al
most as dark as ever.
Twas wondering what would be the
outcome OF the case, when the lights
were suddenly blown out.
"Keep in your places!" shouted an
alguazil. "Order in the palace of JUS
tice!"
The candles were re-lighted, and then
was beheld such scene as has rarely
ever been beheld in a court room or
anywhere else.
In front OF the alcaldes bench stood
two scar-faced men as much alike as
two brown peas!
"Merciful saints!" calculated an al
quail. "Do see double, or are there
two Franciscos?"
at is the work OF the devil" sug.
gested a pious old man, as he crossed
l.